Getting You On The Mood
by empatheticsympatheticpathetic
Summary: Len will never get away for comparing Kahoko to a spent lemon. LenxKahoko... Super OOC, but who's on the character if they're in love?
1. Chapter 1

a/n: Okay so it has been a long time since I've posted a story. And... gyaaaAH! Here I am again 'attempting' to complete a probably, a two or a threeshot fanfic. But regardless, I managed to snatched up and hid my laziness somewhere and thought to get the right inspiration to write. Much like this story I found myself, really, (REALLY!) hard to Get on the Mood. Sighs... hope you enjoy this.

And btw, as always I don't own LCDO nor P.S. I Love You its written by Cecelia Ahern, if I'm right, I only watched the movie and haven't read the book yet.

And I write LCDO by everyone's first name. Honestly, i don't have any idea where would I put the -sans, -chans, -kuns, -senpais, -senseis... so sorry. I'm hopeless. Lastly, beware! Lol... Haha... I mean warning! There's a lemon on the way, but not the lemon you're thinking. Duh? Rated T? Rated T? I feel so pathetic... Tsk..

Getting You On The Mood

Chapter 1 - Better than a Spent Lemon

An overwhelming frustration, anger, guilt and disappointment swelled up inside her. Somewhere in the practicing rooms Kahoko should be skillfully swishing her bow while moving her fingers delicately along the strings in precise sync and with ease and enough brain to feet coordination she should be able to waltz around the room from the same music she was playing. But that was too much multi-tasking to be done. In fact, she isn't even in the practicing room as she was purportedly thinking about.

She's on the school's garden beside a field of flowers reading a romance novel, or at the very least, skimming and trying to stomach all the sappy and cheesy lines that ooze out on every page. There's a huge possibility that she might develop Diabetes after finishing the novel from all the sweetness. She resigned and stuffed the book on her bag. Maybe some other time, minus the cheap rip off of all the cliché 'I-just-wanna-throw up' love or maybe another genre entirely.

Apart from that, the change of setting she picked for today's practice was perfect. Their garden was well tended it was like looking at a painting, only alive and moving and she was a part of it. Breathing in and out the scent of freshly cut grass and dozens and dozens of flowers she was relieved. She scrunched her nose, there's a familiarity to that scent, where else had she smelled this before except from the garden? Her heart pace quicken, butterflies are not only in the garden but also seemed to be confine on her stomach, fluttering their wings excitedly.

At the split moment, she had gotten what she came here for. Why she was in the garden bringing along novels and playing violin sonatas. She wanted to incite a feeling, to let it consume her, to drive her hands out of their own accord to play this beautiful music. To breathe in life on the notes to this piece. How could she forget the romance of the dark cherry wood of her violin? She was smitten with the sound it produced.

She held her violin. Caressed its neck and begun to play. Music swelled thickly in the air. She closed her eyes. _'What was the feeling?' _She asked herself trying to fill in all the gaps from the remnants of a vague feeling that was still to hazy to comprehend. Strings of music continues to resound in the air unsteadily reaching up the crescendo. _'Oh, what was that…?" _she strained her mind.

Love…?

She deflated. As fast and instantaneous it came, it was as fast and instantaneous it went. Gone. She felt like crying now. That was both stupid and pathetic, finding something and loosing it again. What would she say that she misplaced her inspiration?

She huffed. She needs to displace this to something.

She looked at her violin softly. Of course, not on it. She carefully set it aside. Then dug her hands on her hair pulling it and trashing all around the spot. After loosing a few hair and the Nami in her conscience told her, _"Kaho… You know if someone will see you like that they will think you're crazy."_ Infuriated and panting she sat down and recollected her sanity. Just a few seconds passed by she was fumbling the contents of her bag bringing out the book and flipping over the pages again.

Of all the theme under the sun. They picked something that she can't even firmly put a grasp on.

She sighed. Long and slow, as if all the hope was escaping out from her breath. "How did I even get myself on this?"

Her thoughts swiped along a blonde hair fairy. "That midget! One of these days I'll find dozen of cats to chase him around!" First the school competition and now out of nowhere her name 'magically' appeared on some local concours a week before it's going to be held on the city. What kind of fairy-tale-magic-star-dust he borrowed from Tinker Bell again.

Grabbing her violin she hurriedly followed through the notes on the music sheet, pushing back up and dragging down the bow along the strings. "Come on! Come on!" She gritted her teeth, "More passion, more precision more! More!"

"If you're going to keep doing that you are aware that your strings are going to break… again, right?

Who else can pull off that monotony?

"I'm being extra gentle this time." She reasoned out pissed.

"Ow?" He challenged skeptically.

She turned to Len's direction, grabbed his shoulders and violently shook them. "Len please," she pleaded. "I'm not on the mood for your peer evaluation on my performance."

He rolled his eyes. He felt like giving Kahoko one of his long lectures again.

Kahoko held up a hand. "Don't start with your long sermons about your convictions on music and all that again." She pouted and looked at him behind her bangs warily. "Is it- Is it really that bad?"

Noting that he must choose his words delicately, he started, "Let me give you an analogy Kahoko," he paused getting distracted by another thought, "your playing is like squeezing juices out of a spent lemon, there's little to nothing left..."

He waited for her reaction and heard sobs right after. The hands that were lightly gripping his shoulders a while ago were now formed into a fist thumping his well ironed out uniform.

Len looked bored as he rubbed his temples. He' s not even bothered by Kahoko's fists pounding on his chest, its like she's not even trying, ―of course she's a girl. "Stop doing that."

"No!" She snapped through her gritted teeth. Not when she had found something to displace her anger with. "No! No! No!"

He seized her hands by the wrist. "You're wrinkling my uniform, if you won't stop then I will make you iron out all my uniforms for a week."

She stuck her tongue out.

He looked at her with half lidded eyes, especially the tongue she had stuck out. He tried to chase out all the rapid thoughts that were running inside his mind and focus back on their current position. He guessed that the girl in front of him failed to notice their proximity but he for one didn't. Actually he was very aware of how close they were, inches from each other it felt like he was on the prelude of something very inviting.

She's so dense and naïve that she always have a late reaction on things. He'll give her extra time to figure this out by herself, all he needs to do is to wait, pretend to look stoic and aloof like what he always does in front of her, although inside he is silently enjoying this. Anytime now, _"Five… Four… Three… Two… One!"_

Presto! Her eyes lit up like a bulb. She pushed herself away from him. For a moment there he thought he saw steam puffing out because of the heat from her face. But then she continued in her onslaught. She was disconcerted by her playing and a mixture of embarrassment swirling around that frustration was too much to bear but that didn't stop her from making Len her human punching bag. "You call yourself my friend? I don't care! Send me all of your uniforms and I will stretch and iron them out for you till they rip from their seams!"

"But you're no good on doing household chores, —umpfh!" he felt one or two pounds stronger than the other, "what if you'll burn your fingers and won't be able to play the violin properly."

She stopped.

He mentally rechecked what came out of his mouth. "I mean, plus, you'll surely burn holes through my uniforms. I can't let you do that."

She stepped back away from him and started fixing her things, ignoring him. He bent down to help her. He grabbed a particular book, quickly passed over the title before he hand it to her. His eye brows quirked in an oddly fashion.

"I was trying to get my mood into something." She supplied for him with her lips tight, obviously still mad at him.

"Romance, Love? I thought you had more experience to that than to rely on books."

"What do you mean?"

"Tsuchiura? Yunoki? Hihara?"

Her face became more confounded as he said their names. Again she was so dense and so slow. Even if Len added 'Tsukimori' to that bunch she still won't get it.

"You want to know why people write things such as that?" He pointed to the pocket sized book on Kahoko's hand. "Because somewhere on a daydream they thought about being hugged and kissed. Pondering about those things, coupled with an interesting plots and twists make a good literary entertainment."

She smiled, a bit lopsided, more of a smirk. "Len, you softie, I didn't know that you read love-atrocious-novels."

"P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern, twice and over actually." He let her rubbed it in his face for now. He kind of felt bad mocking her with a slice of lemon a while ago.

"It's a reference or more of a resource book to help me play the violin."

"And how's that going to help?"

"I can't seem to get on the right mood on playing the violin." She sighed hopelessly. "The theme is…" she paused for a while as if to add emphasis on the dread of the 'word', "… Love."

He chuckled. "And you think that is going to help you?"

He grabbed her violin and slung it on his shoulders. "Here, let me teach you." He offered his hand for her.

Kahoko's heart felt like two drumsticks are beating it for her. As a result, a gush of blood flooded her face.

He quickly realized what he just said. "T-to your violin, of course!" He hastily added.

Kahoko saw through this and slid her hand on his open one. They both blushed at the contact. Len was too shy so he turned his back quickly and lightly tugged her to lead the way. Where ever they are going.

"But first let's have some tea."

x

"I can see where you got the inspiration from the lemon."

"_How did she know that I write lem-"_. He panicked but was relieved that Kahoko was just idly looking at the squeezed lemon on the side of the table. "I couldn't think of anything better."

"No you don't!" She looked at him defiantly then placed her teacup on the table. "Take that back!"

He relaxed his back on the chair enjoying this little outburst from his companion. "You know what? Make me. Why don't you play for me before we start the lesson."

Not breaking her gaze she feel for her violin on its case.

The boy looked at him critically a smirk playing on his lips. The eye contact didn't have any sign of wavering from both of them. He leaned forward with intent as he put his trademark pride on his chin while at the same time the girl tried to copy his gesture by propping her violin on her chin as well. With both chins held high, she took her stance. Poised to give him a view of his very own personal concerto.

The music was soft, almost too delicate at first, then it started to linger on so slowly melding in the air like thick velvet. And then all of a sudden…

She jerked her bow upwards, then dragged it down steeply.

The music resonated like thunder powerful and yet passionate. He closed his eyes the whole world seemed to spin around him. Notes seemed to fly everywhere as she continued to flip her wrist to give off more vigor. He clenched the armrests of his chair as she rose quickly on her tempo.

_Len… _She wanted to scream his name in between the notes.

And then as if she sensed him, her playing turned mellow the steady notes seemed to coax him like a magnet towards her. His ears burned for more as she painfully comes to a halt.

She heaved a full breath from the amount of effort she just gave off. She turned her head bracing herself to scathing remarks that Len will give her. What else would she expect.

"Eh?…" She was surprised to see Len's eyes close.

He couldn't fight the surge of thoughts clouding his head right now. In his bedroom, ruffled sheets and…

_A hazy vision of Kahoko…_

A hazy vision of Kahoko waving her hands in front of him saying, "Earth to Len?" repeatedly brought him back.

"What the-," he muttered.

"So how was it?"

For the lack of better word, he replied. "Entertaining… at the very least. But it's still sloppy!"

Her shoulders slumped. "Sloppy?"

"J-just a little but you're getting there." He chose his words carefully. If there's a list of girls he didn't want to cry, Kahoko would be one of them.

"Sloppy, like I'm trying too hard it shows. I just… I just," her eyes became glassy and she held on to her violin tightly. "I just want to give the playing it rightfully deserves!"

"Come here…" Len muttered inaudibly. Kahoko couldn't believe she heard him right.

Len's eyes softened and then he snorted. At the back of his mind he thought if Kahoko could be any denser. He cleared his throat. "I said come here."

She stepped forward, unsure hands warily raised up as if she was grasping things blindly. She saw a flicker of irritation on Len's face. All of a sudden she was tugged hurriedly on his chair in between his lap.

He grunted impatiently whether it was because of her dense-lack-of-thought-processing-sluggishness or he was just plain eager for her to come to him, he didn't know.

Len quietly relish the view of the exposed skin behind her neck and the smell of fresh strawberries from her hair.

"I'm no good, aren't I?"

"It's not like that. I told you, you're getting there." He consoled for her as he wrapped on arm on Kahoko's waist and surprisingly she let him do it.

"I just can't get the right mood for it."

"And I told you I'm going to help you." Len reached for her music sheets while still keeping his arm around Kahoko's waist.

"Look in here," he placed the music sheet on the table and he leaned forward. "It was good. But, you miss this note, this note and this note. And in here," he skimmed a series of notes with his finger. "Your tempo is too fast…"

She nodded to everything Len was saying as she cautiously squirmed in between of him. It didn't take a whole minute for her to realize her position. The moment Len leaned forward, when his chest pressed on to her back, the butterflies on her stomach a while ago came back again. Or is it just his arm around her waist? The tiny butterflies fluttered their wings excitedly as Kahoko tried not to blush.

"And to the last part, you should drag your bow lighter and longer… Like this." He placed his right hand on the hand where she was holding her bow and the other on the hand where she held her violin. Together they raised her violin to position and he guided the bow along with her hands.

Her back stiffen. Len was almost embracing him, in a very weird way. But the notes sounded spot on.

"See? It made all the difference, didn't it?" He whispered resting his chin on the crook of her neck where her scent was much stronger.

That made all the hairs on her back stand up from their roots.

"Actually, yes. And Len… You can let go of me now."

His face colored. But he still obliged albeit it's the opposite of what he wanted.

"By the way… Your playing… I was wrong…"

Kahoko stopped midway. She snapped her head to look at him incredulously. Then her eyes softened as she laid a hand on his forehead. "Len, are you sporting another fever again?"

Len looked fine, if she had to admit he looked better this time rather than any other days, especially at this close distance. But she was taken aback, since it wasn't your everyday normal Len that would admit that he was flawed or had made a mistake, more or less bruise his own ego.

"I'm fine. I said I was wrong, surprisingly your playing…"

She watched him intently are these really the words that are coming out of Len's mouth?

"… Your playing was surprisingly better than a spent lemon." He said without a hint of expression which infuriated Kahoko.

With clenched fist she bopped his head.

Ow!

xXx

Hey can I ask something? Why do they call 'it' lemon anyway? Err.. Yeh know what I'm pertaining too. Hahaha! And oh! please don't forget to review... You can flame if you want I don't care. But if I get a little touchy touchy with your reviews I'd rather delete this fic and start over again... Sighs... See you next chap.


	2. Chapter 2

Static… Static… Bzzzzz… *blip* Oh, I'm back.

Chapter 2 – Staged-Kiss

Being inside Seiso Acadamy's concert theater felt strange under this dim lighting. With a lot of room and lack of occupants settled on the seats her shoes echoed loudly against the concrete stairs cascading downwards the stage. She didn't imagine that the concert theater can house this much audience. As she passed rows after rows of seats she thought she had more reason to be nervous backstage. She smiled when she finally caught a sight of the so called violin virtuoso who promised her his tutoring help to polish her amateur skills. Maybe, if she thought better she didn't need to go on all of these practicing with him to 'get her in the mood'. But maybe, it was he himself who's going to get her in the mood. Maybe, just maybe.

She checked her wristwatch, she had come too early and figured she would watch him warm up his violin. She wondered what would be like being the audience and rather than the performer. She sat down on one of the seats and watched Len's serene face as he swished and swiped his bow to his violin.

The music was very different compared to the last time he played alone on that stage. She snapped her eyes up as notes quickly climb to crescendo and the melody coursed from her ears throughout her body making her body tingle in amazement.

She closed her eyes and let the music engulf her. The notes were perfect, he played as if he played this piece thousands of times already. Some people were born to play and some people simply learns how to and she was the latter. The music died softly and she waited for his closing gesture for him to bow proudly and she in turn would give him a standing ovation and clap both of her hands proudly, if the world was perfect and if she could play her violin upside down with her ankles all tied up all the way to the ceiling. But it's not, so as if she haft expected it to happen, though it was the very opposite of her thought, she heard her name being called up in an irritated manner and she winced at the condescending tone it carried.

He raised an eyebrow, letting the irritation dissipate in his head. "You're early…"

She glanced everywhere but him before settling her eyes submissively on the sheet stand beside him. She watched him gather the musical sheet on its stand, rearrange it and replaced it with another. He was probably placing the piece she's going to play. Far easier than the one he played a while ago.

"I figured that you like people to come early, rather than on time." She bit her lip. Well, it's true anyway since she didn't have any reference on how he wanted people to be punctual and partly because she knew that if she didn't come early she will be late, never on time.

"Oh," he said as if he was surprised by what she implied and then he snorted, reiterating what she just said only this time it was thrown back to her. "Cause I figured that people like you always come late, rather than on time."

She stuck her tongue out to him. "You enjoy getting on my nerves, do you Len?"

He turned around, he didn't say anything. He swore if she doesn't stop that habit he'll figure out some way to snatch that tongue of hers and he's already having ideas about how to do it. Damn.

He tapped the sheet stand with his pen. Kind of like the tapping of a conductor's stick to start the show. "Let's begin."

When Kahoko saw that unresolving gaze of his she smacked her inner conscience. This is going to be long and winding afternoon.

x

"Stop."

Kahoko must've not heard him. He sighed and repeated it louder this time.

"I said stop! Stop."

The music was cut off almost immediately.

What's the matter now… Kahoko's knees slackened, she wanted to break down on the middle of the stage. How many times did Len hold out his hand to stop her. She won't even go as far as playing more than five to seven notes and he stopped her again. She looked at him pleadingly.

Sitting on the front row, he shifted his weight from one hip to another, resting his chin over his hand admiring the current expression on her face. "You know, you're making this hard for yourself." He shrugged.

"From the top."

She groaned but didn't had any choice. She raised her violin, tiredly now, this routine of starting over and over is starting to take its toll on her. Her music once again graced her ears, the familiarity of it seemed to stick with an annoyance in the air, the nagging feeling it carried. She knew she had perfectly memorized all the notes already but still constantly playing it imperfectly.

She stopped at her own accord. Clenching both of her hands and teeth now. Tears started welling on her eyes now but she didn't let Len notice it.

"Do you need to take a break?" Len inquired knees ready to spring up from his seat.

"No." She stated coldly.

She heard the cushion of his seat flopped back with a thud against the backrest, his shuffling footsteps, the clicking of the soles against the wooden-planked floor of the stage, stopping just in front of her, the rustle of both cloth and hair as he placed both on his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Let's start again."

Len's hands slid from her shoulders to her arm stopping her from positioning her violin midway. "What's the matter?"

She looked at him numbly and when she met his eyes she knew that he knew that something was wrong. She clenched both of her hands, about to retort that there wasn't any problem like what she always did.

But a lot of things happened instantly. And the time that he tugged her chin upwards to him she was aware that there wasn't enough room to react or there wasn't any room at all on the little space that they were sharing.

The modest brushing of two lips went fast as if an air just barely blew a breeze to it and she wondered if something magical happened because suddenly it sparked a little fire that was now smoldering slightly inside her.

His heart pounded, louder than the acoustics of the concert theater. He kept on thinking what made him do something so unprecedented. He smiled, more on the sardonic side. Somehow it left him with an unnerving urge to want more. Whatever it is he has done…

He mustered all what's left of his self-contained façade. And with one finger laid on the piano key he managed to summon both of them out of the daydream and back to the stage.

"As you said, let's start again. On your cue."

Somehow the concert theater was less dimmer and she wanted to throw a timid and appreciative smile back at Len. She bit her lip, took a stance, more of to Len's direction and began to play subtly this time.

Her violin and him accompanying by the piano. It made all the difference to the world.

x

Somewhere, on a pillar's ledge Lili couldn't help but to squeal to his little matchmaking success, partly. It's not over till the curtain falls.

x

When the end of the afternoon session came, nobody dared to utter a word. Two weird crooked smiles with a blush hovering on each cheek kept them silent.

"H-how was it?" He cursed himself, he knew that his voice would falter at the start of a conversation.

"It… was good, a bit unexpected. But I guess its… Uhm, I'm just happy." She massaged her temples self consciously did she just make an indirect innuendo? Of course she was just harmlessly pertaining to her violin performance. Not some other things, stuffs...

He grunted. Women. _Good? Does she have any idea how much courage it took to do that?_ He crossed his arms and walked right pass her.

"Len…" She inquired, she might have hurt him. She didn't mean to, after all that he's done. "Len, thanks. I appreciate it, you, accompanying me, I didn't know that you play the piano. I couldn't help but to think of a similar incident." She thought of a certain green hair pianist for a while.

He glared at her and she was taken aback. He hated how innocent she looked when both him and Ryoutaro has an underhanded rivalry because of her. And his pride won't let the other guy get the upper hand.

He held his chin, walked back towards her. "Tsuchiura, accompanied you on this stage,"

There was no mistake in his tone. He was pissed.

"I accompanied you and kissed you!"

x

Review? Please? Haha. No just read. I guess, a part why I updated late was because I only get 1, one! Review last time. And don't mind me, God bless you, Miss/Mister, but I'm pretty sure Miss Anonymous reviewer, at least I have you. I will forever treasure your review in the biggest chamber of my heart… The left ventricle. Hahaha. It really is, the left ventricle is the largest of all four chamber because it's the chamber that drives all of the blood out of the heart and why we have blood flow in the first place. Err… Enough medical stuff. Haha. I mean, I guess, I have to get rid of the fact that I need reviews to update. If I kept on thinking that way, I won't finish any fic. I will write because I wanted to write, and because I am inspired to. (Now you know why I don't update my other fics)

So see yah, yep there's still a chapter 3. Originally this was a one-shot/two-shots, but I'm going to attempt three-shots. (Attempt? Of course I will finish.)

Anyways, if you're still not over that left ventricle thing forget that I said that.

Reviews? You can flame… That will also be treasured. lol

ikr? The hits and visits on this page are enough. See you.


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